Widespread Food Storage and Sanitation Failures in Dietary Services
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to store, prepare, and serve food in a safe and sanitary manner, as evidenced by multiple observations in the kitchen and food storage areas. Surveyors observed undated and expired food items in the walk-in freezer, refrigerator, and dry storage, including frozen waffles, thickened beverages, sliced turkey, B/C topping, flour, egg noodles, cocoa mix, hot dog buns, spaghetti noodles, navy beans, and white rice. Ice buildup was noted on boxes stored under a leaking freezer condenser. Raw hamburger meat was stored above ready-to-eat foods such as milk and cheese in the walk-in cooler. Additionally, there were instances of dirty equipment and utensils, including a metal pan with yellow residue, a pot with visible residue, and a plate with green residue, all of which were used or about to be used for food preparation or service. Sanitation procedures were not consistently followed, as demonstrated by improper hand hygiene after handling trash and before touching clean utensils, and by the use of a dish machine with inadequate chlorine concentration (25 PPM instead of the required 50-100 PPM) and a water temperature gauge stuck at 115°F, below the policy requirement of 120-140°F. Staff interviews confirmed awareness of these issues, and policy reviews indicated that the facility's own procedures for hand washing, dish machine operation, and food storage were not adhered to. The census at the time was 65 residents, all of whom had the potential to be affected by these deficiencies.